Summary

A successful candidate in this position will support the Pantex Field Office (PFO) within the office the Assistant Manager for Business & Contract Management (AMBCM). As a Contract Specialist, you will utilize your expertise to serve in a critical role as a primary contracting officer, and as the lead for developing criteria for assessing contractor performance and assessing, rating contractor performance.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration. Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply under the Direct Hire process.

Duties

As a Contract Specialist, you will:

Perform contract administration. Prepare and maintain current acquisition plans, appropriate milestone charts and related schedules.
Conduct regular meetings with contractor personnel to evaluate performance to ensure and maintain a consistently high level of performance.
Authorize and delegate the assignment of tasks related to contractor performance. Monitor contractor's progress for the life of the contract.
Develop solicitations. Perform pre-award functions for procurements involving complex contracts.
Determine quantities to be procured, examine specifications to match requirements to various options available, identify exceptions or changes needed in standard contract provisions, select appropriate contract type, coordinate socioeconomic factors with appropriate activities, and make determinations concerning minimum or maximum order limitations, method of award.
Analyze and evaluate cost and pricing data to determine price reasonableness when relevant historical data and pricing precedents are generally not available or require extensive adaptation.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
Subject to Random Drug Testing.
Must pass a pre-employment drug test.
Must be able to obtain/maintain a Q level Security Clearance.
Financial disclosure is required.
Must be Level III FAC-C certified or must be at least Level II certified in contracting and be able to obtain Level III FAC-C contracting certification within 18 months of placement in the Pay Band 03.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Contracting Officer’s warrant after placement in this position.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Performing contracting functions in at least three (3) of the four (4) following areas: 1. Application of contract policies, regulations, principles and requirements; 2. Budgetary process and methods of controlling funds; 3. Providing oversight and evaluation of the Contractor's contract administration and cost performance.; and/or, 4. Providing system level improvement recommendations.

NQ 02 - Example of Specialized Experience:

Plan and conduct detailed contract price/cost analyses to determine cost effectiveness and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

NQ 03 - Examples of Specialized Experience:
Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Performing contracting functions in at least three (3) of the four (4) following areas:1. Application of contract policies, regulations, principles and requirements; 2. Budgetary process and methods of controlling funds;3. Providing oversight and evaluation of the Contractor's contract administration and cost performance.; and/or,4. Providing system level improvement recommendations.

Examples of Specialized Experience for NQ-03:

1. Serve as a contracting officer responsible for pre-award and post-award functions ;2. Collaborate with senior contract specialists in direct oversight of personal property, purchase card, fleet management functional areas, and cost savings activities;3. Serve as a lead for developing criteria for assessing contractor performance.

Education

The Education section MUST be tailored to each vacancy based on the OPM qualifications standard for the position you are posting.

Educational Requirements: 1. NQ-02: A. Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position, AND B. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. C. Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D. D. Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiveraction. For more information, please refer to the OPM qualification standards for the 1102 Contracting Series

Additional information

The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This position is announced under a government-wide Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) for Contract Specialist positions in the 1102 series. Under the DHA, applicants who meet the Education and Qualification requirements listed in this announcement will be referred for consideration. Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply under the DHA process.

Appointments made under the DHA are processed as "new" appointments. Current Federal employees may be required to serve a new probationary period (5 CFR 315.802(b).

Successful candidates will possess the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Career Transition Assistance Programs: If you are eligible for career transition assistance, such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the Education and Qualification requirements to be referred for consideration.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (02/17/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12861886

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes:

Your RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement.Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.
Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable(e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/.
To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation.
You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/

If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.

Agency contact information

Monica Lacey

Email: monica.lacey@nnsa.doe.gov

Address: Pantex Field Office
24600 20th St SE
Kirkland AFB, NM 87117-5507
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The status of your application will be updated in USAJOBS as it is evaluated.

You can check the status by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application changes by logging into your USAJobs Account and editing the Notification Settings.

You will be contacted directly if an interview is required.

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